So let’s start! Tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.
Absolutely! I’m Vlad Gorbunov — a professional entrepreneur, startup builder, and someone who’s been trying to make the future arrive a little faster since the early 2000s. My career began in investment consulting, but I quickly realized I was more excited about building the next big thing than analyzing someone else’s.
Over the years, I’ve moved from optimizing transport logistics to creating payment systems, and eventually landed right where I belong — in the crypto space. I saw early on that crypto wasn’t just a buzzword; it was a once-in-a-generation chance to redesign the global financial system. So, naturally, I jumped in with both feet.
Since then, I’ve launched a number of fintech and crypto projects — including Crypterium in 2017 and Choise.com in 2021, which evolved into Choise.ai. Together, these platforms now serve over a million users across more than 170 countries, and at one point, our projects surpassed $1 billion in capitalization. Not bad for someone who still occasionally forgets his wallet at home — thankfully, we built digital ones!
My passion lies in developing things that don’t exist yet but should — whether that’s a new crypto infrastructure or just a better way for people to access financial freedom. Outside of business, I enjoy solving puzzles — though lately, most of them involve regulations, scalability, and onboarding flows. Keeps it exciting!
Interesting! What was your latest Hackernoon Top story about?
My latest Hackernoon Top story tackled the ongoing battle between Bitcoin and gold to claim the title of the ultimate safe haven asset in 2025. But this wasn’t just another crypto vs. metal showdown — it was a deep dive into how today’s unpredictable global landscape is reshaping the very concept of 'safe.'
We’re living in a time where economics can’t be separated from politics. Geopolitical tensions, shifting alliances, wars, sanctions, and monetary policies — they all directly influence markets, asset preferences, and investor behavior. You simply can’t talk about financial strategy in 2025 without reading the news like a political analyst.
In the article, I explored how both Bitcoin and gold are responding to this volatile environment, and how investor trust is evolving. It’s a fascinating moment where tradition meets innovation — and where safe havens are being redefined in real time.
Do you usually write on similar topics? If not, what do you usually write about?
I usually write about crypto, blockchain, and fintech — that’s my core area of expertise and where most of my projects live. But as I mentioned earlier, these topics no longer exist in a vacuum. The lines between finance, technology, and geopolitics have completely blurred. You simply can’t discuss the future of digital assets without addressing regulation, global power shifts, and the latest political drama. Let’s be honest — these days, it’s really hard to write anything without somehow mentioning Donald Trump or Elon Musk)
Great! What is your usual writing routine like (if you have one?)
Let’s just say it’s not exactly 9-to-5. I’m currently working 24/7 across multiple startups while also leading more established companies like Choise.ai and Vbanq. When you're this deep in the crypto and fintech trenches—navigating regulations, launching products, managing teams across time zones—you don’t really have to schedule writing. The content writes itself.
Every day brings a new challenge, a new insight, or a global event that connects back to what we’re building. So I treat writing as a way to process, structure, and share those experiences. It’s less about finding time to write and more about not being able to not write, especially when the industry keeps throwing plot twists worthy of a Netflix series.
Being a writer in tech can be a challenge. It’s not often our main role, but an addition to another one. What is the biggest challenge you have when it comes to writing?
Honestly, it’s hitting “publish” before the entire situation changes. We’re living in an era of constant transformation—markets shift overnight, regulations evolve mid-sentence, and global events can rewrite the context of your article before it’s even indexed by Google.
Writing in tech, especially in crypto and fintech, feels a bit like trying to take a clear photo during an earthquake. You have to capture the moment, provide value, and still acknowledge that everything might look different by tomorrow morning.
What is the next thing you hope to achieve in your career?
The next big thing I want to achieve in my career is to make crypto truly accessible to everyone — not just tech enthusiasts or early adopters, but to everyday people and businesses around the world. My goal is ambitious but clear: to bring 1 billion people into the crypto economy through the fintech and banking projects I’m building, including platforms like Choise.ai and Vbanq, along with our B2B white-label solutions.
I believe the new era of global finance shouldn’t be reserved for a small group of insiders. It should be simple, transparent, and available to anyone, anywhere — whether you're a business in Europe, an individual in Asia, or a startup in Latin America. We’re building the infrastructure to make that possible and to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the decentralized economy at scale. That’s the mission I wake up for every day.
Wow, that’s admirable. Now, something more casual: What is your guilty pleasure of choice?
My guilty pleasure? Obsessively following how fast fintech is evolving — and then trying to build things that aren’t supposed to be possible. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last 15+ years. I tell myself it’s “work,” but really, it’s more like an addiction to solving puzzles no one has solved before.
Between surprise funding rounds, regulation curveballs, and tech breakthroughs, following the industry feels like watching a nonstop financial thriller. The only twist is—I’m also helping write the script.
Do you have a non-tech-related hobby? If yes, what is it?
Outside of fintech — which I genuinely enjoy, not just as work but as a passion — I’m also deeply into sports. I’m a big fan of professional skydiving, freediving, mountain skiing, and tennis. There’s something about pushing physical limits that complements the mental intensity of building in the tech space.
But above all, the best time I spend is with my family. No adrenaline rush compares to that. It’s the one place where I can fully recharge and be reminded of what really matters beyond startups, markets, and milestones.
What can the Hacker Noon community expect to read from you next?
I’ll continue diving into macro-financial trends and how they intertwine with geopolitics — a theme that clearly resonates with the Hacker Noon community. I see there's real interest in understanding the bigger picture, not just the tech, and I’ll keep exploring how global events shape the way we build, invest, and interact with money.
I also plan to bring more behind-the-scenes insights from the fintech space I work in daily — the real challenges, innovations, and signals worth watching. And of course, I’ll mix that with the perspective of a curious news observer trying to make sense of the chaos. Stay tuned — things are only getting more interesting from here.
What’s your opinion on HackerNoon as a platform for writers?
HackerNoon is one of those rare platforms where writers can be both technical and human. It’s a space that values ideas over credentials, clarity over jargon, and encourages honest takes on complex topics. As someone deeply embedded in fintech and crypto, I appreciate that HackerNoon gives room for thoughtful analysis, bold predictions, and even a bit of healthy skepticism — all in one place.
It’s also one of the few places where you can write about the intersection of blockchain and geopolitics, and actually find a community that gets it. For builders, founders, and thinkers, it’s a solid outlet to share what we’re seeing in the trenches — and to connect with readers who care just as much about where the world is headed.
Thanks for taking time to join our “Meet the writer” series. It was a pleasure. Do you have any closing words?
If there’s one closing thought, it’s this: we’re living through one of the most transformative periods in financial history. Whether you're building, investing, or just observing — stay curious, stay critical, and don’t be afraid to question the status quo. That’s where the real innovation begins.
